Lucerne Valley Leader

Man returns from post office to find Old Woman Springs home burning

By KRIS REILLY, Staff Writer

LUCERNE VALLEY • A busy month for local firefighters continued last week with the fifth structure fire in a three-week span.

A blaze burned a major portion of a home in the 35000 area of Old Woman Springs Road while the resident was running errands on Aug. 4.

Ignacio Fernandez said he had gone to the post office sometime around 4 p.m. and returned to see a window blown out and “an inferno inside.”

No incumbents to run in November

By KRIS REILLY, Editor

LUCERNE VALLEY • As of press time on Monday, five people — none of them incumbents — had thrown their hats in the ring for three open positions on the Lucerne Valley Unified School District governing board.

The candidates, in alphabetical order along with their listed professions, are: John William Buchanan (rancher/cowboy), Stephen Anthony Colangelo (minister), Jody Collingham (retired business owner), Jim Harvey (small business owner) and Dawn Turnbull (school administrative assistant).

By KRIS REILLY, Editor

LUCERNE VALLEY • With the first day of school on the horizon, the Lucerne Valley Unified School District and its teachers are nearing a deal that would help the district achieve financial stability.

LVUSD and the Lucerne Valley Teachers Association have reached a tentative three-year deal that includes salary cuts, a raise freeze, a shortened work year and a reduction in the stipends that are awarded for extracurricular activities.

By BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA, Staff Writer

LUCERNE VALLEY • An explosion and fire destroyed two motor homes and a travel trailer on July 27, but no one was hurt in the incident, San Bernardino County Fire Department officials said.

All three of the vehicles sat on private property on Furst Street near Lincoln and Old Woman Springs Road.

Witnesses reported that the fire began as a result of an explosion, possibly starting in one of the motor homes that burned before moving on to the other two vehicles.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Despite the fears of some local residents, the Lucerne Valley Unified School District is set to begin its school year at the end of the month.

The first day of school is Aug. 30 for all local campuses.

“School will be in, and we are still working on addressing our budget issues through negotiations,” LVUSD Director of Business Services Sheri Staszewski said.

Romero’s memorial Saturday; Page still hospitalized

BY KRIS REILLY AND BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA, Leader Staff

LUCERNE VALLEY • Two local residents were involved in serious motorcycle accidents within 24 hours of each other last week.

Ratio of sex offenders to other residents in L.V. is much higher than in nearby cities

By Beau Yarbrough, Staff Writer

Behind an incomplete cinderblock wall on the north side of Highway 18, near the intersection with Custer Avenue, sits a cluster of single and two-story structures. It’s an unremarkable set of buildings, from the looks of it, but it’s the highest concentration of registered sex offenders in Lucerne Valley.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

LUCERNE VALLEY -- Two local residents were involved in serious motorcycle accidents in less than 24 hours.

Benjamin Anthony "Tony" Romero, 35, was killed in an accident involving two pickup trucks on Highway 18 in Lucerne Valley on Monday night. Romero's mother, Pam Hardwick, said a memorial service was planned for Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. at Lucerne Valley Memorial Park.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

LUCERNE VALLEY • The Traditional Music at the Russells concert series has welcomed performers from all over the country and the world. The Russells’ latest guests are coming all the way from Martinsville, Va.

Doug and Telisha Williams will perform songs from their latest album, “Ghost of the Knoxville Girl,” on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. at the Russells’ home, located at 35313 Foothill Road.

“Ghost of the Knoxville Girl” just spent 15 weeks on the Americana Music Association Radio Top 40 chart, according to a press release.

Fire Captain: Recent string of fires is just a coincidence

By KRIS REILLY, Editor

LUCERNE VALLEY • A home on Highland Avenue was saved from destruction on July 20 thanks to the efforts of firefighters — and a hallway smoke detector.

At 4:38 p.m., a special smoke detector at a home in the 10000 block of Highland automatically alerted an alarm company, which notified authorities and the owner, who wasn’t home at the time but quickly came back and opened the front door.